Wrapping-paper printing and serving apparatus.



R. L. WELCH. PAPER PRINTING AND SERVING APPARATUS;

WRAPPlNGr APPLICATION FILED JULY 16. 1917- Patented Apr.16',1918.

ROBERT L. WELCI-I, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

WRAPPING-PAPER PRINTING AND SERVING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

Application filed July 16, 1917. Serial No. 180,875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT L. WELCH, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, and resident of the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebecand Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in lVrapping-Paper Printing and Serving Apparatus, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in paper printing and servingapparatus, and embodies an improvement of the apparatus disclosed in myformer Patent No. 1,131,757, and application, Serial No. 17 6,855, filedJune 25, 1917.

The apparatus constructed according to the patent is designed to havethe tearing off line of the paper located at a point on the roll, butwhen the tearing off line is removed to a point remote from the roll, asdisclosed in the application, it is found that the extra movementrequired to bring the paper to the advanced tearing off point causes apartial operation of the printing device. If the mechanism is nowshifted to remove paper from another roll, the printing apparatus is notin proper position to print a complete advertisement. It is thereforefound neces sary to impart a partial revolution to the printingmechanism in order to make it im pose a proper and complete impressionon the paper, when shifted to print one roll or the other. When theprinting mechanism is again shifted, it is necessary to rotate the rollexactly to its original position in order to give a perfect impression.

The subject matter of this application therefore relates particularly tomeans for adjusting the printing mechanism as above outlined.

The device consists briefly of a pair of segment gears connected to theshifting means of the printing device and arranged to impart partialrevolution to the printing roll, one segment in one direction and theother segment in the reverse direction. A certain slip is provided inthe mounting of the segments in order that the printing mechanism willbe shifted clear of the paper before rotation commences.

In the drawings which illustrate the invention:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the paper printing and serving machineshowing the features of this invention in place thereon.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the print roll rotating means on the innerside.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the print roll rotating means on the far side.

Fig. 4 is a plan View of both rotating mechanisms.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation of one of the ratchet gears.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates a frameworksupporting paper rolls 12 and having mounted therein for bodily movementa printing roll 13. Upper and lower platen rolls 11 and 15 are alsoprovided, the upper one being mounted for bodily movement and the lowermerely for rotary movement. Suitable mechanism, designated 16 andincluding an operating handle 17 and main shaft 18, is provided formoving the printing roll 13 into or out of engagement with either of theplaten rolls, the upper platen roll being simultaneously movable toassist in clearing the paper passing thereover from the printing roll.This mechanism will be found more fully described in my prior Patent No.1,131,757. According to the invention disclosed in the patent referredto, the apparatus is arranged to produce one impression on each averagelength of paper torn off, but when the tearing-off line is shifted fromthe roll by placing the tearing-off knives 19 on the front 20 of theapparatus, the length of paper between the tearing-off line and theprinting line is changed, so that the printing takes the form of acomplete impression and part of a second impression. If this occurs forinstance on the upper platen, and it is now desired to shift theprinting to the paper on the lower platen, the result will be either anincomplete impression or an imperfectly placed impression on the sheetrunning over the lower platen.

In order to overcome this, means is provided according to the presentinvention to give a partial rotation to the printing roll when it shiftsfrom the upper to the lower platen. In order that it will make acomplete and properly placed impression on the paper, when it is desiredto return the printing roll into contact with the paper on the upperplaten, the roll is rotated to return it to its original position. Therotation in each case is effected by segment gears driven from the shaft18, there being a slip connection between the gears and shaft to insurethe printing roll being moved out of contact with the paper before itcommences to rotate, so that blurring or smudging of the paper will beavoided. The segment gear 21 which operates to shift the printing rollwhen moving from the lower to the upper platen is mounted by means of apin 22, about which it rotates. A crank 23 is fixed to the shaft 18 andis connected by a link 24 with the gear. The teeth of the gear segment21 mesh with a pinion 25 having ratchet mounting on the printing roll,so as to rotate the roll only during upward movement of the segment 21.'lhe upper end of the link 24 is provided with a. slot 26, in which thepin 27 connecting the link and crank 23 will slide on the initialmovement of the crank. At the opposite end of the printing roll, asegment gear 28 is revolubly mounted on the shaft 18, and adjacent to ita crank 29 rigidly mounted on the shaft, the crank having two spaceddriving pins 30 which loosely embrace between them the segn'ient 28. Theembrace of these pins is so loose that the crank 29 will havepredetermined movement bet'ore one pin or the other engages the segmentand imparts movement thereto. The segment meshes with a ratchet mountedgear 31 on the printing roll, the mounting being such that the pinion 31will have driving connection with the printing roll only during upwarmovement of the segment 28. Steps 32 are provided to limit the downwardmovements of both the segments 21 and 28. The mounting of the pinions 25and 31 consists for each pinion of a casing fixed to the pinion andrevolubly mounted on the spindle 3-1, on which the printing roll 13 isirrevolubly mounted. A

ratchetwheel 35 is irrevolubly mounted on the spindle within each casing33, and is connected to the casing for revolution in one direction byspring pressed pawls 36 carried by the casing. The arrangement of theratchets and pawls is such that one operates to rotate the printing rollin a positive direction, while the second slips under its pawls, andconversely the second "atchet will rotate the printing roll in a reversedirection while the first ratchet slips under its pawls. From theforegoing, it will be seen that in order to have the desired effect, thepinions must be rotated in. opposite directions. Since both gearsegments driving the pinions are controlled from single shaft, theopposite movement of the segments required to produce the oppositemovement of the opinions is obtained by driving one segment from oneside of the shaft axis and the other segment from the opposite side.This necessity accounts for the use of the crank 23 to drive the segment21, which it will be readily noted in Fig. 1 projects from'the shaft ina direction diametrically opposite to the segment 28.

The operation of the device is as follows :Assuming the printing roll tobe in its elevated position working against the upper platen 1 1, asshown, when a length of paper is pulled out from the upper strip, thefrictional engagement of the printing roll with the paper causes theprinting roll to rotate and deliver an impression to the paper. Unlessthe paper is torn off quite short, the printing roll is rotated so farthat if lowered, an incomplete impression will be formed on the paperpassing over the lower platen. This is automatically overcome by themechanism previously described. lVhen the lever 17 is pulled down toshift the printing roll to the lower platen, it slightly lowers theprinting roll and raises the upper platen le',as described in my previous patent. lVhile this partial movement of the printing roll andplaten is occurring, the shaft 18 to which the lever 17 is connectedshifts the crank 29 until the lower driving pin 30 thereof engages thegear segment 28. W hen the printing roll is clear of both platens, thedriving pin engages the gear segment and raises the same, so that it r0-tates the pinion 31 and thereby rotates the printing roll the desiredamount. As previously stated, the pinion 25 at the opposite end of theprinting roll remains stationary by reason of its ratchet connectionwith the printing roll. This rotation of the print ing roll sets theroll ahead sufliciently to insure a complete impression on the paperpassing over the lower platen, and in addition, an impression which willbe properly centered in the strip of paper to be withdrawn. T heprinting roll is of course being lowered simultaneously with itsrotation, so that when it comes to rest, the rotation is complete and isarrested bystoppage of the movement of the lever 17. It is of courseimmaterial that the rotation be stopped at the time the lowering of theprinting roll is stopped, for the reason that the type portion of theroll is out of contact with the paper and smudging cannot occur. After alength of iaper has been withdrawn from the lower roll, it it is desiredto return the printing roll to engagement with the paper on the upperplaten, the lever 17 is raised, and by means of the mechanism describedin my former patent, raises the printing roll and simultaneously lowersthe upper platen 14:. On the downward movement of the lever 17, the pin27 of the crank 23 is moved downwardly to the bottom of the slot 26 inthe link 24:. There-tore, during the first part of the upward movementof the lever, the pin returns to its original position in the upper endof the slot '26, so that the segment gear 21 is not shifted until theprinting roll is clear of the paper on the lower platen. As the movementof the lever continues, the pin strikes the upper end of the slot andraises the gear segment 21, so that the pinion 25 is rotated, androtates the printing roll a sufficient distance ahead to form with theprevious automatic rotation one complete revolution, For example, in themechanism as at present designed, the segment 28 rotates the printingroll through 201 and the segment 21 rotates it through 159, the twotogether giving 360 of rotation or one complete revolution, so that whenthe printing roll is returned to the upper platen, it will come to restwith the tight portion in the exactposition with relation to the paperthat it occupied before the roll was lowered. In this way, if a partialimpression was formed on the paper passing over the upper platen, theprinting roll can be brought back into contact with the paper, so as tocomplete the impression wh n the paper is withdrawn. It will be obviousthat the the gear segments are both driven from the same shaft 18, theywill both operate at each shift of the lever 17, but owing to the rightand left hand ratchet connection with the printing roll, only one of thesegments will impart revolution to the printing roll.

It will be understood that while only one specific form of mechanism hasbeen dis closed for producing the desired result, ther are manymodifications thereof possible, and it is equally obvious that if Changeis made in other portions of the mechanism, a corresponding change maybe necessitated in the printing roll rotating means. Therefore theinvention must not be. considered as limited to the particularconstruction disclosed, but must be considered as embodying anymechanism which produces the same result.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a wrappingpaper printing machine having a printing device operable against eitherof two platens, a shifting means therefor, means for automaticallyrotating the printing roll during its shift from one platen to theother, and means for automatically rotating the printing roll during areturn movement to bring it into its former relation with the firstplaten.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a pair ofplatens, a printing roll movable into engagement with either platen, andmeans for shiftin the printing roll, of means for automatically rotatingthe printing roll during its shift from one platen to the other, andmeans for automatically continuing such rotation during the returnmovement of the printing roll to the first platen.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a pair ofplatens, a printing roll movable into engagement with either platen, andmeans for moving the printing roll, of means for automatically rotatingthe printing roll during lts movement from one platen. to the otherwhereby the printing roll is set in such relation to the second platenas to deliver a complete impression, and means for rotating the printingroll during return movement whereby it is set to deliver a complete.impression on the first platen or to complete an incomplete impressionon the first platen.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a pair ofplatens, a printing roll movable into engagement with either platen, andmeans for moving the printing roll, of means for rotating the printingroll during its shift from one platen to the other, said roll rotatingmeans being operative only when the printing roll has been moved out ofengagementwith a platen.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a pair ofplatens, a printing roll movable into engagement with either platen, andmeans for moving the printing roll, of means for rotating the printingroll during its shift from one platen to the other, and a drivingconnection between said roll rotating means and roll shifting meansinoperative during the first part of the roll shifting,

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with a pair ofplatens, a printing roll movable into engagement with either platen, aprinting roll shifting means including a shaft, of a pinion at each endof the printing roll having ratchet connection with the roll formovement in one direction, gear segments arranged to operate saidpinions alternately in opposite directions, and a slip drivingconnection between each gear segment and the roll shifting means wherebyrotation of the roll commences subsequently to the commencement of itsshift.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination with a pair ofplatens, a printing roll movable into engagement with either platen, aroll shifting means including a shaft, of a pinion ratchet connected toone end of the roll to rotate the roll in one direction, a gear segmentrevolubly mounted on said shaft meshing with the pinion, a crank rigidlymounted on the shaft adjacent the segment, driving pins on said crankarranged to engage the segment and spaced to permit limited movement ofthe segment independently of the crank whereby the gear segment willremain stationary until the shaft has rotated through part of arevolution.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination with a pair ofplatens, a printing roll movable into engagement with either platen,shifting means for moving the printing roll into engagement with eitherof the platens including a shaft, and a frame supporting the whole, of apinion ratchet connected to one end of the roll to rotate the same inone direction, a gear segment pivotally mounted on the frame, a slottedlink pivotally connected to' said gear segment, and a crank rigidlymounted on the shaft engaging in the slot of said link whereby thesegment will have limited movement independently of the crank and theshaft will rotate through part of a revolution before rotating thesegment.

neaees 9 A device comprising in coinhination'the 10 mechanism set forthin claims 71 and 8 characterized by the projection of the cranksindiametrically opposite directions, :Whereby on rotation of the shaft thesegments ivill be rotated in opposite directions. g e

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set y handc.

ROBERT L. 'WELCH.

Games at thi: patent ma be obtained for fiveicents each. by addres'ingthfe Commissioner of latentii.

Washington, Da 0.

